Trade in grain from Ukraine and Russia will continue after the cancellation of the grain deal

The agreement on the export of grain from the ports of the Black Sea has ceased to operate, said the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov. The deal expired July 17th. The day before, on July 16, according to the Marintraffic portal, a ship left the port of Odessa, which Reuters called the last one under the Black Sea agreements. “Unfortunately, the part concerning Russia in this Black Sea agreement has not been implemented so far. Therefore, its action is terminated. As soon as the Russian part is completed, the Russian side will immediately return to the implementation of this deal,” Peskov said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry sent notes to the UN, Ukraine and Turkey about Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement, and also notified the International Maritime Organization about the withdrawal of guarantees for the safety of ships passing in areas where they were given by the Russian side in accordance with the terms of the deal. The coordination center in Istanbul, which was responsible for issuing permits for ships to enter Ukrainian ports, has been closed, TASS reported. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement detailing the reasons for withdrawing from the deal. The text states that none of the Russian requirements to facilitate the export of agricultural products arising from the agreement have not been met. And the promise of the UN to deliver Russian fertilizers blocked in EU ports for free to African countries was fulfilled in an insignificant amount. Of the 262,000 tons of products blocked in Latvia, Estonia, Belgium and the Netherlands, only two shipments were sent – 20,000 tons to Malawi and 34,000 tons to Kenya, and the Russian owners made the payment from their accounts in the EU that were unblocked for this purpose.